Paul, Green help Rockets rout Timberwolves 102-82 in Game 2

Houston has a commanding 2-0 lead over Minnesota as they head to Target Center for Game 3 on Saturday night.

The Timberwolves had scored seven straight points later in the third when Green, the hometown player who was signed off the street in December, hit his fifth 3-pointer to leave the Rockets up 74-53 with about 2 1/2 minutes left in the quarter.

Houston, who finished the regular season with the second-best offensive rating in basketball, shot a season-low 20 percent from the field in the opening quarter of Game 2, and were down by as many as nine points early on in the contest. Karl-Anthony Towns was held to five points and has scored single-digits in his first two career playoff games.

So far in the playoffs, the Timberwolvessit second-to-last in 3-pointers made and attempted, and their 3-point percentage has them sitting 13th.

While Minnesota finished the regular season averaging the eighth-highest point total in the National Basketball Association despite their lack of 3-pointers, some might reason that threes don't need to be a part of the Wolves' offensive attack. Towns had just five points on 2-of-9 shooting, though he was able to finish with a team-high 10 rebounds.

While some would argue that having a better 3-point percentage means the Wolves are taking smarter shots, the Rocketshave outscored Minnesota by a 206-183 margin through two games, and manage to have the exact same field goal percentage as the Timberwolves despite their 3-pointers falling less consistently. Before the game, the Rockets observed a moment of silence for Barbara Bush, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 92. They completed 16-of-52 attempts from downtown, and the process of quantity in shots was the difference. It gave them a 15-point cushion at halftime and they added seven points to that differential heading into the final 12 minutes. Also sitting courtside was rapper Lil' Wayne, who received a loud ovation when he was introduced on the Jumbotron in the fourth quarter. Despite his shooting struggles, he contributed in pretty much every other facet of the game - 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks.